Waitomo Cave

The lands of Waitomo village, at New Zealand’s north islands of largest city Auckland, 2 and a half hours south of the city center. This is the holy site of the Maoris. In Maori language, ‘wai’ means water, and ‘tomo’ means hole.

These endless lands used to be underwater 30 million years ago, that’s why the limestone walls of the caves are full of stalactites, stalagmites, and fossils of billions of sea creatures.

And of course, one in the world blue fireflies, or glowworms… Arachnocampa Luminosa is a firefly species exclusive to the endemic structure of the island nation New Zealand.

The top section of the cave is quite dry, tilting down from the softly lit stalactites and stalagmites, the bottom section is completely dark, including the stream network that goes through underground.

We had a magical adventure sailing through this stream.

These blue-green creatures living in the caves of these 30 million-year-old magical antique worlds offer an extraordinary visual feast. When we set sail towards these caves, we were ready to meet the magical blue-green creatures of the underground under the stars. It felt like we were traveling through stars in space.

It felt like we were sightseeing thousands of stars shining in the sky. It’s hard to explain in words… Maybe the best is to experience the moment… In the deep silence, we were on a spiritual quest, on the blue-green stars glittering the water. Accompanying the echoes of the fireflies hitting the water, we had a magical adventure that was 45 minutes long… Like a dream…

Prof Dr. Sevcan AKESI

Instagram: sevcanakesi